Reduce civil service workers

As the Democratic partial government shutdown enters its second month, concern is growing for the welfare of 800,000 furloughed civil servants. These individuals are not going to miss any paychecks. Once the government reopens, they will receive back pay.

This never happens in the private sector. When a factory shutdowns and the workers are furloughed, there is no guarantee the workers will have a job should it reopen. Where is the outpouring of support and empathy for these folks? There is none because the private sector employee accepts and prepares for these events.

Before jumping all over the worn-out Democratic talking points of the struggling federal civil servant, a 2012 Princeton University study found that a federal civil servant is financially better off than a private sector worker. While facing a 0.2 percent chance of being fired, a civil servant earns an average of 34 percent more than a private sector worker. The federal civil servant works 12 percent fewer hours and has “Cadillac” health insurance benefits, 75 percent of it paid for by taxpayers. The study is packed full of information that shows how much more a civil servant is given over what a private sector worker must work for.

It is time for the president to begin looking into a reduction in force of non-essential civil servants. Reducing the civil servant headcount will save enough money to pay for a barrier to protect the southern border.

DREW ELGIN, Jackson